Tag: haunting

She is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran

- Stephanie Leave a comment

“Who am I but someone others define? It’s easier to be a stereotype. It hurts when you are yourself.”
― Trang Thanh Tran, She Is a Haunting

Trang Thanh Tran’s debut novel, She is a Haunting, is a young adult gothic fantasy and mystery with ghosts, colonialism, and queer themes. Honestly I don’t know what I expected, but I was pleasantly surprised by this novel with the exception of the bugs. There are SO MANY bugs in this novel that I found myself having to take a break to make sure there weren’t any crawling near me. *shiver* Let’s get into the book!

Jade Nguyen wants to go to college, but her parents’ relationship is making things hard. Her parents have been separated for the last four years. Her father left the family and went to Vietnam to start a business, leaving Jade, her mother, her younger sister, and her younger brother behind. When Jade discovers that she isn’t eligible for loans, she strikes up a deal with her father. If she spends the summer with him in Vietnam fixing up an old house that he plans to turn into a bed and breakfast, he will pay for a year of her college. Sounds like a pretty easy deal to her, but as soon as she shows up in Vietnam, everything feels off.

Jade has never quite fit in – in America she’s not American enough, while in Vietnam she’s not Vietnamese enough. After a falling out with her best friend, Jade isn’t sure if she’s straight enough anymore. In Vietnam, Jade isn’t impressed with the decaying French colonial house that her family used to work in and that her father has chosen to restore, but when she believes she can make it the five weeks to get her tuition money. Quickly though, things start falling apart. She has paralyzing bad dreams, is visited by ghosts, and is certain there are bugs crawling around her. Her father and sister don’t believe her, leaving Jade with no choice but to stage some hauntings of her own. The downside is the house isn’t a fan of her meddling and has decided to make its presence known. Jade and her family are in danger, but she isn’t sure what to do to break the hold.

Interested in this book? She is a Haunting is the January See YA Book Club pick. We will be discussing this book on Wednesday, January 7th at 6:30pm at our Eastern Avenue branch. For more information about future See YA book picks, visit our website.

See YA Book Club

Join our adult book club with a teen book twist. See why so many teen books are being turned into movies and are taking over the best seller lists.

Registration is not required. Books are available on a first-come, first-serve basis at the Eastern Avenue library. We meet the first Wednesday of the month at Eastern at 6:30pm. Stop by the service desk for more information.

Wednesday March 4th session will be meeting in the Story Room.

January 7 – She is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran

February 4 – Better than the Movies by Lynn Painter

March 4 – The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera

April 1 – Looking for Smoke by KA Cobell

May 6 – If You Could See the Sun by Ann Liang

June 3 – Shut Up, This is Serious by Carolina Ixta

We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer

- Stephanie Leave a comment

“When things felt right, it only meant there was so much more that could go wrong.”
― Marcus Kliewer, We Used to Live Here

Charlie and Eve are excited to start their new house flip. They just scored a great deal on an old house nestled in the trees in a beautiful mountainside town. When Eve is home alone one day, she is surprised when a family knocks on their front door. The father says he grew up in the house and wants to show his family the place where he lived as a child, if it’s okay with the new owners of course. Despite her reservations, Eve decides to let the family in, starting her down a path that will change her life forever.

When the family of strangers enters the house, weird and unexplainable things start happening. Something is slightly off about each family member, specifically the father. When the family’s youngest child disappears leaving Eve and the father to search the creepy and ever expanding basement for them, Eve’s bad feelings grow even worse. A ghostly presence is lurking in the basement, but only Eve can see them. The family stays longer than Eve originally intended, but there isn’t much she can do to combat the weather. When Eve learns that Charlie has disappeared and she is unable to get ahold of her, Eve spirals. She begins to love her grip on reality. Is her mental state deteriorating because of her mental health or is something happening to her because of the house? What’s going on? Who is behind these changes? What is Eve willing to risk to survive?

If you choose to read We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer, I highly recommend you read a physical copy as there are maps, journal entries, redacted records, and morse code scattered throughout. I should have known that this would be a difficult read for me as it’s horror and I freaked myself out while reading it (cheers to only being able to read this book while it was light out)! I do still have questions related to some plot holes, but honestly this book is ripe with conspiracy theories, so I will probably never get any answers.

This title is also available in large print.

Prepare to be scared! Paranormal Activity on DVD

- Michelle Leave a comment

If you are a big fan of  scary movies, you should definitely check out  Paranormal Activity.   I saw the commercials, which were especially creepy and scary, and when a copy was available at the library I hesitated at first, but then decided to watch it.  I am glad that I didn’t watch it alone! 

A young couple, Katie and Micah, move into a new home near San Diego and are wary of strange sounds and activity in the middle of the night.  Trying to  figure out what is exactly happening when they are asleep, Micah sets up a video camera to capture what goes bump in the night.  Much of what the viewer sees is through the eyes of the camera.  The events start out small – unexplained footsteps and doors closing themselves.  But, as time goes on more ominus things start to happen to the couple.  By the end of the movie the paranormal happenings escalate so much, you have no idea what is next and the ending is definitely shocking.  The DVD contains an alternative ending which is worth watching too.  

I am normally not a fan of horror films, but Paranormal Activity was a fun watch and scary movie.  I checked out Paranormal Activity 2 which is a prequel to this movie that was just released and I will blog about it soon!